From my teenage years I have been interested in learning about my family, both ancestors and what came to be my posterity. It all started when my mother began preparing a four-generation pedigree chart with associated family group records in the late 1960's to submit to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah at the request of Church leaders.
For my undergraduate work I went to Brigham Young University. One Sunday afternoon I went to the library which was open for genealogy research. I had had no success that day, but a lot of fun, searching for our immigrant ancestor, Matthias Corwin. We believed he had come to Ipswich, Massachusetts in 1633 but had not found how he got there, or the town from which he emigrated.
The library chimed that it was time to leave. I picked up my papers and began sauntering out. Walking through two stacks I saw (and can still see it today!) a thin red leather volume that called out to me. I pulled it out and thumbed through it. It was a book of passenger lists. There on the page was Matthias Corwin, his brother George, and his sister Martha (I think)! They had come from Sibbertoft, Northamptonshire, England. That was the information I had been seeking, and there it was.
That hooked me!
Sadly, I did not record the name, etc of the book so I do not have an actual source record, just my memory. Memory being what it is, well, I am trying to locate that book now after all those years. Maybe with online options, I will find it.
For all the years since that day, I have been learning and teaching genealogy and family history principles. In fact tomorrow I will be presenting to the local Rotary Club. I have a very short slide presentation. Because I imagine these men and women will be meeting on their lunch hour, I need to be fast. I will speak briefly about myself and background as I was asked, talk about what a genealogist does, show a little video, then show a minute part of FamilySearch.org.
We shall see how it goes.
Wednesday, November 9, 2016
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Derwent Inktense Watercolor Pencils
The Frugal Crafter has mentioned, and demonstrated, the Derwent Inktense watercolor pencils multiple times. Recently the Holiday catalog came from Dick Blick's Art Supplies. There were deep discounts on these pencils. I looked at them for quite some time. Ordered the small set to try them out, BUT had the order declined because of a problem with my payment. It turns out that I had not updated my online buying method the last time my info was stolen by someone in Texas...
After I fixed the purchasing info I started looking around to see if I could get these Inktense pencils at the same price elsewhere. I could! At a site which had no shipping charges! SO I went ahead and made the plunge, going for this much bigger box.
So far I have not done any real work with the pencils, but winter is coming on. I am hoping to give up many of the other activities on my plate and hunker down with these pencils, a pot of water, and some wonderful Arches watercolor paper which was a gift from a friend. Well, and maybe a basket of previously started knitting projects...knitting is always good winter work in a rocking chair beside the woodstove.
When Lindsay Weirich suggests any color supply set, she usually says to purchase the largest set you can afford rather than buying a small set then a larger one, since that way you always have duplicate implements. I did not want to go the $100 set, which was the largest offered and which price was half price at Blick. Yikes! One hundred dollars was half price!!! I could not afford that set. (Actually, I want to spend the next $100 I have to play with on DNA testing, for whatever that will be worth.)
When I have anything completed, I will show and tell my experience with these Inktense pencils.
After I fixed the purchasing info I started looking around to see if I could get these Inktense pencils at the same price elsewhere. I could! At a site which had no shipping charges! SO I went ahead and made the plunge, going for this much bigger box.
So far I have not done any real work with the pencils, but winter is coming on. I am hoping to give up many of the other activities on my plate and hunker down with these pencils, a pot of water, and some wonderful Arches watercolor paper which was a gift from a friend. Well, and maybe a basket of previously started knitting projects...knitting is always good winter work in a rocking chair beside the woodstove.
When Lindsay Weirich suggests any color supply set, she usually says to purchase the largest set you can afford rather than buying a small set then a larger one, since that way you always have duplicate implements. I did not want to go the $100 set, which was the largest offered and which price was half price at Blick. Yikes! One hundred dollars was half price!!! I could not afford that set. (Actually, I want to spend the next $100 I have to play with on DNA testing, for whatever that will be worth.)
When I have anything completed, I will show and tell my experience with these Inktense pencils.
Monday, November 7, 2016
Munchie Monday: Apple Crisp!
The old saying: "If life gives you lemons, make lemonade" can also be applied to apples. If the apples are soft, make apple crisp.
We had a bowl of nice tart apples which were no longer crisp and perfect for eating. Thrift makes it impossible for me to toss them onto the compost pile. This morning I awoke just after 4 AM and decided to finally do something about those apples which were screaming at me to take care of them before they totally turned into mush and bruises.
What I did:
Peeled, cored, and chopped the apples and tossed them into a 3-quart bowl.
Measured out 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon which I sprinkled over the apples. With a spatula I mixed the apples, sugar, and cinnamon until every chunk of apples was well seasoned.
In that same 3-quart bowl I put 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon nutmeg. After mixing that around I added 1/2 cup softened butter and, using my fingers, rubbed the butter into the flour mixture until there were lovely crumbled.
Put the seasoned apples evenly into a 9 by 13 glass baking dish then sprinkle on the crumb topping. Place in a preheated 350 degree F. oven and bake for 45 minutes or until the apples are cooked and soft. (I did not bother greasing the baking dish. We shall see if that was a poor decision....)
When the apple crisp is getting close to being finished cooking, it fills the kitchen with the most delicious cinnamon fragrance. Such a lovely smell for early morning visitors to enjoy as they enter the house from the middle-fall cold outside air. Much nicer to sniff that the smell that happens when I foolishly steam some broccoli florets to munch on as a snack throughout the day....
We had a bowl of nice tart apples which were no longer crisp and perfect for eating. Thrift makes it impossible for me to toss them onto the compost pile. This morning I awoke just after 4 AM and decided to finally do something about those apples which were screaming at me to take care of them before they totally turned into mush and bruises.
What I did:
Peeled, cored, and chopped the apples and tossed them into a 3-quart bowl.
Measured out 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon which I sprinkled over the apples. With a spatula I mixed the apples, sugar, and cinnamon until every chunk of apples was well seasoned.
 |
| Cinnamon flavored apple chunks in 9 by 13 dish |
In that same 3-quart bowl I put 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon nutmeg. After mixing that around I added 1/2 cup softened butter and, using my fingers, rubbed the butter into the flour mixture until there were lovely crumbled.
 |
| Crumbs ready for the topping |
Put the seasoned apples evenly into a 9 by 13 glass baking dish then sprinkle on the crumb topping. Place in a preheated 350 degree F. oven and bake for 45 minutes or until the apples are cooked and soft. (I did not bother greasing the baking dish. We shall see if that was a poor decision....)
 |
| Cooked crisp, cooling on the marble slab (a useful family heirloom which came from a great-aunt's hardware store counter) |
When the apple crisp is getting close to being finished cooking, it fills the kitchen with the most delicious cinnamon fragrance. Such a lovely smell for early morning visitors to enjoy as they enter the house from the middle-fall cold outside air. Much nicer to sniff that the smell that happens when I foolishly steam some broccoli florets to munch on as a snack throughout the day....
Friday, November 4, 2016
Food Friday: Roasted Parsnips. Yes!
We came into two very large parsnips. I thought of putting them into a soup pot but then thought of something else. Roasted vegetables are so good. Why not roast parsnips?!
So I did.
This is what I did:
Peeled the parsnips.
Cut the parsnips in half then sliced them into about 1/2 inch slices which I then chopped into about the same size chunks.
Put the parsnips in a large bowl with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Stir until all chunks are coated with the oil. Sprinkle over the top in 1 teaspoon of garlic/onion granule mixture, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, and 1/2 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt. Toss until every piece is seasoned then put in preheated 350 degree F. oven for 40 minutes.
After 40 minutes, check to see that the parsnips are softened. If they are not quite soft enough for you, give an additional 10 minutes in the oven.
Add more salt if you think they need it.
These tasted pretty good. We shared them with the local grandchildren. Did not expect Dear One to even try one...
So I did.
This is what I did:
Peeled the parsnips.
Cut the parsnips in half then sliced them into about 1/2 inch slices which I then chopped into about the same size chunks.
 |
| Parsnips coated with olive oil and seasonings |
Put the parsnips in a large bowl with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Stir until all chunks are coated with the oil. Sprinkle over the top in 1 teaspoon of garlic/onion granule mixture, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, and 1/2 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt. Toss until every piece is seasoned then put in preheated 350 degree F. oven for 40 minutes.
After 40 minutes, check to see that the parsnips are softened. If they are not quite soft enough for you, give an additional 10 minutes in the oven.
 |
| Roasted parsnips ready to eat! |
Add more salt if you think they need it.
These tasted pretty good. We shared them with the local grandchildren. Did not expect Dear One to even try one...
Thursday, November 3, 2016
Gardening: New old Method--Ruth Stout No-Work Gardening
The hay bale gardening did not turn out to my expectations this year. The weak link here was the gardener. As usual. Anyway, recently I was talking with my sister. She is converting their huge vegetable garden in North Carolina to the Ruth Stout method which we learned about years ago. I thought: why not try it here in Vermont? After all, Ruth Stout lived in Connecticut. We have ten bales that are pretty much on their way to being compost from this year's garden failure. They should be great.
So, today I went out to the two small gardens and yanked up most of the leftover tomato, basil, lettuce, etc plants. I laid them right back down where they had been. I had most of the tomato plants pulled up and positioned horizontally on the ground then stepped over towards the rhubarb to yank off the dead leaves. Stepped in a hole with my left foot then dropped like a stone and rolled completely over. I wish there had been a video taken of it. It was a beautiful thing. At least today, or right now, it seems like it was a beautiful thing. This happened about an hour ago and I still feel okay. Afterwards I got up and kept working for a while longer. I am hoping that later this evening or tomorrow I do not feel any ill effects. That would really put me off the work...and I want this garden to succeed next year.
I used several of the ten bales from this year's hay bale garden which did not work as well as I had hoped. After that I brought some of the rotted hay from the grow-box garden (where the lovely doe deer ate all the yellow string beans just when they were getting good looking...I told you about that...) and spread it over the front garden.
So far I have not gotten the side garden completely covered. I think I will look for some new "bad" hay that animals won't eat to finish it off. Maybe even use some of the wood chips we got last year when we were going to do the Back to Eden gardening method....
There are lots of articles about Ruth Stout and her gardening method on the internet. Plus a couple of YouTube videos with her showing someone around her garden. (There are Magyar subtitles but the videos are in English.)
 |
| Right end of front garden after installing rotted hay. |
So, today I went out to the two small gardens and yanked up most of the leftover tomato, basil, lettuce, etc plants. I laid them right back down where they had been. I had most of the tomato plants pulled up and positioned horizontally on the ground then stepped over towards the rhubarb to yank off the dead leaves. Stepped in a hole with my left foot then dropped like a stone and rolled completely over. I wish there had been a video taken of it. It was a beautiful thing. At least today, or right now, it seems like it was a beautiful thing. This happened about an hour ago and I still feel okay. Afterwards I got up and kept working for a while longer. I am hoping that later this evening or tomorrow I do not feel any ill effects. That would really put me off the work...and I want this garden to succeed next year.
I used several of the ten bales from this year's hay bale garden which did not work as well as I had hoped. After that I brought some of the rotted hay from the grow-box garden (where the lovely doe deer ate all the yellow string beans just when they were getting good looking...I told you about that...) and spread it over the front garden.
 |
| Rhubarb end of the front garden. |
So far I have not gotten the side garden completely covered. I think I will look for some new "bad" hay that animals won't eat to finish it off. Maybe even use some of the wood chips we got last year when we were going to do the Back to Eden gardening method....
There are lots of articles about Ruth Stout and her gardening method on the internet. Plus a couple of YouTube videos with her showing someone around her garden. (There are Magyar subtitles but the videos are in English.)
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
Papercrafting: A Simple Birthday Card
Several family birthdays are coming up. Dear One brought up the subject last week. He wondered what I was going to do for birthday cards.
This is what I did: I got out my "punch around the page" punches. We have two different sets. They require specific sized squares. I cut two different 12" by 12" sheets of paper into four 6" by 6" pieces, then cut down one of each pattern into 5" by 5" squares. Save the 1" strips you cut off. You will use them in a moment.
To punch around the page you start by punching the corners. After that then you will insert the paper into the other punch and line up one corner design with the little silver design just to the right of the punch. Give it a good punch.
Next you slide the paper to the right and line up with the silver design at the end of the punch. Punch it out. With a 5" square you have now completed one of the four sides of the paper. Complete the other three sides. If you are very precise, the edge design will be just perfect. If not exactly precise, you might have a tiny sliver of paper sticking up between motifs which you will need to very carefully cut off.
When creating the inside of this card, I used the strip of leftover paper. Cut a small heart out of one end, clip off the curved excess, then glue down the plain strip at the right side of the card then add the heart below the strip. Add a little note, and mail off the card.
This is what I did: I got out my "punch around the page" punches. We have two different sets. They require specific sized squares. I cut two different 12" by 12" sheets of paper into four 6" by 6" pieces, then cut down one of each pattern into 5" by 5" squares. Save the 1" strips you cut off. You will use them in a moment.
To punch around the page you start by punching the corners. After that then you will insert the paper into the other punch and line up one corner design with the little silver design just to the right of the punch. Give it a good punch.
Next you slide the paper to the right and line up with the silver design at the end of the punch. Punch it out. With a 5" square you have now completed one of the four sides of the paper. Complete the other three sides. If you are very precise, the edge design will be just perfect. If not exactly precise, you might have a tiny sliver of paper sticking up between motifs which you will need to very carefully cut off.
 |
| Front of a recent card |
When creating the inside of this card, I used the strip of leftover paper. Cut a small heart out of one end, clip off the curved excess, then glue down the plain strip at the right side of the card then add the heart below the strip. Add a little note, and mail off the card.
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
Healthy News: Team Leah Bean Rett 5K 2016
Last year I was able to walk a 5K to help raise money for Rett Syndrome research while we were on vacation at Virginia Beach. The Boardwalk was a wonderful place to make this happen.
This year it was too windy to do it on the Boardwalk, so I did it here at home. I am happy to report that I managed to walk a 5K on Monday. In fact, I used the MapMyFitness app on the cell phone I carry for emergencies and I actually walked 3.5 miles! Yay! So good.
Side Note:
When I came home from the walk I worked on putting the garden to bed for the winter. I was well on the way when I stepped into a hole in the dirt and dropped like a stone and rolled over like a hedgehog...a complete rollover. Amazingly I did not feel hurt, picked myself up and did some more work. After about twenty minutes the adrenaline got to me and I stopped with the gardening and went into the house and sat in my rocking chair...watching the birds at the feeder, a very restful and relaxing thing to do. By evening the right side of my body including neck were screaming at me but now, several days later, there is no residual pain. Thanks, Heavenly Father!
This year it was too windy to do it on the Boardwalk, so I did it here at home. I am happy to report that I managed to walk a 5K on Monday. In fact, I used the MapMyFitness app on the cell phone I carry for emergencies and I actually walked 3.5 miles! Yay! So good.
 |
| Having walked 5K I can proudly wear this shirt, which was my small donation to the Rett Foundation. |
Side Note:
When I came home from the walk I worked on putting the garden to bed for the winter. I was well on the way when I stepped into a hole in the dirt and dropped like a stone and rolled over like a hedgehog...a complete rollover. Amazingly I did not feel hurt, picked myself up and did some more work. After about twenty minutes the adrenaline got to me and I stopped with the gardening and went into the house and sat in my rocking chair...watching the birds at the feeder, a very restful and relaxing thing to do. By evening the right side of my body including neck were screaming at me but now, several days later, there is no residual pain. Thanks, Heavenly Father!
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